Background

The industrial town of Greenock lies on the
southern bank of the Firth of Clyde, sandwiched between Port Glasgow and
the prosperous middle class community of Gourock to the west. While the shipyards
that made the area famous have now closed, Greenock retains its maritime traditions with a ferry
port and an international container terminal.

It is believed the
club took its name from Morton Terrace, where most of the founders lived
although there is an alternative theory that they were named after James
Morton, a local builder and provost of Greenock who became the club's
first patron. According to their original
constitution the team would
wear "two inch royal blue and white stripes" (ie hoops) and
would conduct all business in accordance with temperance principles.
Abstaining from alcohol is not an idea that has stood the test of time
but the original colours have: despite flirtations with other designs (including four seasons in the late nineteenth century when they played in red), Morton are associated
with hooped blue and white shirts.

There is some ambiguity over the club's formal
title. They are registered with the Scottish FA as Greenock Morton but
have generally been known simply as Morton. In 1994 they applied to
become "Greenock Morton" according to an article on Wikipedia but in 1998 they appear to have applied to the Scottish Football League
to change their official title back to "Morton." On their
web site they are "Greenock Morton." Locally they are generally
known as "The Ton" or, rather more fancifully, "The Pride
of the Clyde."

The club became founder members of the Scottish
Second Division in 1893 and reached the semi-final of the Scottish FA
Cup in 1896-97 where they were thrashed 1-7 by Rangers at Cappielow.
In 1900 they finished as runners-up behind Partick Thistle and were
elected to the First Division. In 1905 they finished in last place but
were spared having to apply for re-election (this was before automatic
promotion and relegation) by the decision to add two clubs to the Scottish
First Division. The Ton enjoyed their best performances in the First
Division between 1914 and 1919 when they finished in fourth place (three
times), third place (twice) and as runners up (in 1917).

In 1922 Morton reached the Scottish FA Cup final
where, against expectations, they beat Rangers by a single goal. The
victorious team immediately took the train to Hartlepool to play a pre-arranged
friendly and it was not until the following Wednesday that 10,000 supporters
could turn out at Cappielow Park to welcome their heroes home. The following
season this successful side broke up after a dispute over wages and in
1927 Morton were relegated to Scottish Division Two, returning to the
top flight as runners-up after two seasons. In 1930 a stone throwing
incident during a match with Cowdenbeath led to Cappielow being closed
for two matches, evidence that hooliganism is not a modern phenomenon.
The club was relegated again in 1933, gained promotion in 1937 but went
straight back down again the following season.

When the Scottish League restarted in 1946, Morton
were placed in the new Division A (despite having been in the second
Division when competition was suspended in 1939). In April 1948 they
once again met Rangers in the Scottish FA Cup final but this time they
lost in the replay after the first match was drawn 1-1. An astonishing
265,000 spectators watched the two games and it is said that the entire
population of Greenock took the train to Hampden on both match days.
The following season they were relegated, bounced back immediately as
Division B champions only to drop back down again in 1952.

Morton's third cup final appearance was in 1963
(they were still in the Second Division at the time) when they met Rangers
again in the final of the Scottish League Cup, the
Glasgow club winning 5-0 in front of 103,000 spectators.

The following season Morton wore a crest on their shirts for the first time. This was used until 1978 but did not appear every season.

Promotion and
relegation came in quick succession although between 1967 and 1975 they
played in the top flight, even qualifying for the Inter-Cities Fairs
Cup (forerunner of the UEFA Cup) in 1967 only to be eliminated by Chelsea
3-9 on aggregate in the first round. They were placed in the new Division
One (now the second level) following the formation of the Premier Division
in 1975 winning the championship in 1978.

After this success a new club crest was commissioned, which featured a sailing ship, a motif taken from the town's coat of arms that symbolises the shipbuilding and maritime heritage of Greenock. This badge has been only slightly modified over the years, appearing at various times embroidered directly on to the shirts, against a shield or roundel and in different colour combinations.

For the next five seasons
Morton struggled to hold on to their place in the Premier Division before
being relegated in 1983. After a brief return to the top level (1987-88),
Morton dropped briefly into the Second Division (1994-95). During this period the club abandoned tradition with some extravagant strips including a magnificent tartan shirt, which was revived for the replica sales market in 2006.

In 2001 Morton suffered a severe financial crisis and were forced into administration. The club narrowly avoided being
wound up but successive relegations in 2001 and 2002 took the Ton down
to the Third Division (the fourth and lowest tier). Recovery followed once the club's finances stabilised: Morton won the Third Division title at the first
attempt and they returned to the First Division (second tier) in 2007.